


The Greendale Alpha

by Kervia



Series: The Greendale Pack [1]
Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Baby Fic, Blood and Violence, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Jealousy, Kid Fic, Major Character Injury, Major character death - Freeform, Marriage, Minor Character Death, Paranormal, Possessive Behavior, Pregnancy, Pregnant Sex, Romance, Romantic Soulmates, Smut, Soul Bond, Soulmates, Violence, Wolf Pack, character injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:34:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25696630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kervia/pseuds/Kervia
Summary: Jeff Winger is the Alpha of the Greendale Pack.A pack known for its "getting by" attitude. Filled with beautiful wolf shifters, the pack is thriving in procreation, but their coffers are almost empty, the wolf cubs are uneducated, and the pack's guards... well, let's just say they were hired for their looks, not their skill.To put it simply, the Greendale pack is on the verge of being wiped out.However, the Hawthorne pack is thriving... sort of.Pierce Hawthorne is the Alpha.A large, unhealthy, racist, misogynistic, homophobic, jackass of a man, he is hated by all. His 2nd wife, Britta, has threatened his life more than once, his omega: Craig, doesn't respect him, and he is only loved by his youngest daughter: Annie. Or as she's called: Princess. The Hawthorne pack is wealthy and have a skilled guard, but their birthrate is low, and pack members are leaving and heading to Greendale.So when Pierce betroths Annie to Jeff, he sets off a chain of events that exposes traitors, incites betrayals, assassination attempts, exposes jealous exes, inflames obsessions, creates new couples, and ends with a pack too strong to be destroyed and a love fated by the gods.
Relationships: Abed Nadir & Jeff Winger, Abed Nadir/Original Female Character(s), Annie Edison & Abed Nadir, Annie Edison & Jeff Winger, Annie Edison/Jeff Winger, Britta Perry & Jeff Winger, Frankie Dart/Britta Perry, Jeff Winger & the Study Group, Pierce Hawthorne/Britta Perry, Shirley Bennett & Annie Edison & Abed Nadir & Britta Perry & Jeff Winger, Shirley Bennett & Annie Edison & Britta Perry, Shirley Bennett & Jeff Winger, Shirley Bennett/Original Male Character, Troy Barnes & Annie Edison & Abed Nadir, Troy Barnes & Annie Edison & Abed Nadir & Britta Perry, Troy Barnes & Jeff Winger, Troy Barnes/Other(s)
Series: The Greendale Pack [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1863490
Comments: 74
Kudos: 91





	1. A Deal With The Devil

**Author's Note:**

> The Greendale Seven are wolf-shifters! This will be my Sunday/Monday story release. I've had the idea of Jeff and Annie as wolf shifters ever since I saw the "Who's the Sociopath"/Halloween episode entitled: Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps from Season 3, Episode 5. My admiration of Alison Brie as a shifter turned into my desire for more paranormal J/A fanfiction, and also I wanted to see what would happen if Jeff and Annie were in an arranged marriage/bonding (and what would happen to Pierce if him and Britta were married. LOL). So this is what you get.
> 
> So since Pierce is still alive, you can expect some misogynistic, homophobic, and slightly racist ramblings.  
> There will be violence in this story (though not in this chapter).  
> And anything else? Well... we'll just see what happens.

**Prologue**

The sky was dark. The air was thick with an unusual humidity. Greendale, Colorado was not normally a place that anyone would associate with an almost stifling heat, but there was a lot happening in the environment and atmosphere at that time to make the temperature and weather conditions almost uninteresting.

Located deep in the Greendale forest are two large wolves. One was thicker around the middle, his pelt a mixture of grey and white strands, while the other had a deep brown pelt, with a pair of startling blue eyes. The wolves standing about ten feet apart, unmoving, neither making any type of noise, as they watched the other.

Then slowly, as if coming to some sort of silent agreement, the wolves began to simultaneously shake and contort, the previously humid Colorado air was suddenly filled with an almost magical quality. The forest grew silent as if waiting in anticipation. Rabbits stopped hopping, birds stopped chirping, every deer and doe ceased to move, even the ants grew still. There were two predators who were changing from one harmful form into the deadliest predator of them all.

Human.

On one side stood a tall, broad-shouldered, thickly muscled, tanned man, with dirty blond hair, blue eyes, abs, a V-cut around his hips, long legs, thick thighs, and sharply defined calves. His face was beautiful--though his forehead was slightly larger than average. And his shaft hung thickly between his thighs.

He was gorgeous. An almost perfect male specimen. However, the smirk on his lips gave testament to the fact that he knew he was.

He was the exact opposite of the man standing across from him. He had a round belly, soft limbs, grey hair, had a face that was only attractive to a niche set of women, however, he too had a pretty impressive shaft and his own smirk matched that of the younger man’s. But, where the younger man had the form and stature of a man who worked for everything he got, the older/senior man had the bearing of the wealthy.

They were Jeff Winger, the Alpha of the Greendale Pack, and his nemesis, Pierce Hawthorne, the Alpha of the Hawthorne Pack.

Jeff quirked an eyebrow, crossed his arms across his barrel-chest and waited for the other Alpha to speak.

“Keep your eyes on my face, Alpha Winger. I know how you like to let your eyes wander whenever there’s a nude man around you.”

Jeff rolled his eyes. “Need I remind you,  _ Pierce _ ,” he said, foregoing the other man’s title which was an insult of the highest regards in the shifter community. “You invited me here, remember? Asked me for a favor? So if I were you, I would be careful about how I spoke to me.”

Pierce waved off Jeff’s statement with a snort of derision. “Please, I’m doing the  _ both _ of us a favor with this.”

Jeff tilted his head to the side. “How so?”

Pierce stepped closer to Jeff and smirked. “My pack is having trouble with procreation, but our guards are the best in all of Colorado, and we are wealthy. Whereas your pack is almost overrun with cubs, but your guards are lazy and shallow-they provide no real defense, and you are poor.”

Jeff sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “You may be right, so what are you proposing? What is this favor?”

Pierce grinned, his eyes blazing with an unholy glee. “I propose that we merge our packs through marriage.”

Jeff snorted. “Are you offering me your wife, Alpha? I must say, I’m surprised. While Britta is quite lovely, I found your first wife much more appealing. The one you have now seems as if she finds all men deplorable.”

Pierce shook his head and rolled his eyes. “No. I’m not offering to give you my wife, you gay fool. And she loves sleeping with me, because I am a real man. No, I’m suggesting that you marry someone else from my pack.”

“Who?”

“My daughter, Annie.”

Jeff’s eyes widened and his eyebrows lifted almost to his hairline. “You would give your daughter to me in marriage when you tell everyone that I am gay? Why?”

Pierce chuckled. “Because my daughter is the smartest shifter that ever lived, and I won’t have to worry about you defiling her, or filling her head with romantic nonsense. When you sleep with her it will purely be for procreation’s sake, not for any other reason, and once she gives you cubs, you won’t need to sleep with her again. That way I have helped to secure my daughter’s future and she still has the ability to find her someone to have on the side who she can love. Meanwhile, both of our packs will grow, and be safe.”

_ How ugly is this Annie, that her father would feel the need to sell her to his enemy? _ Jeff thought to himself.

Jeff stroked his jaw, then shrugged. “As long as she doesn’t expect fidelity from me? I see no downside of this.”

That was a lie. Jeff knew that he couldn’t fully trust Pierce, but while he was sure that the older Alpha had something up his sleeve, was looking or trying to find a way to manipulate Jeff for power, fame, or merely for his own ego, Jeff also knew that sometimes the best way to take down an enemy was by bringing them into one’s confidence. He would marry Pierce’s daughter, he would make sure this Annie trusted him-maybe even fell for him-and then he would get her to betray not only her father, but her pack, and he would gain the upperhand.

Simultaneously Pierce curled his lips inwards to prevent himself from grinning widely. He knew that Jeff thought that Annie was ugly, and that she was easily manipulated, but Jeff didn’t realize that he’d essentially signed over the death warrant of his entire pack and all of their land. Annie was stunningly beautiful. She possessed an innocent beauty that had more than once lowered the inhibitions and guard of those around her, allowing them to reveal secrets and any shady dealings. Jeff didn’t realize it, but he’d just made a deal with the devil.

_ I can only hope that my Annie doesn’t hate me for this. Of all my children, she’s my favorite. _

He nodded at Jeff before shifting back into his wolf and racing off towards the north, while Jeff huffed out a breath in exasperation, and after shifting back into his wolf, headed off towards the south.

Neither of them noticed the slender, beautiful brown wolf with its startling, bright blue eyes who shifted into a beautiful brunette woman with blue eyes. She smirked and shook her head, then bouncing slightly in excitement, began to devise a strategy to get her revenge on her father, and on the man who she’d just been betrothed to.


	2. The Worst First Impression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A selfish, conceited, lying Alpha, hellbent on manipulating an arranged marriage to benefit himself and his pack... meets his match, in a petite brunette named: Annie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My schedule says this is supposed to go up tomorrow (well, either today or tomorrow) but I finished it today. So, I hope you all enjoy!!
> 
> Thank you to all of you who have fallen in love with my stories, all who have given me kudos, all who have left comments, and those who wait anxiously for the next chapter--no matter which story it is--you are all extremely awesome, and my Eema (Hebrew for Mother-yes, I'm Jewish) is very glad that I have people encouraging my writing, so thank you again (and my sister is still sick, but we're all wearing masks, and doing what we can to help her).

**Chapter One**

Annie, “Princess” of the Hawthorne pack, stood in front of her standing mirror, turning left and right as she observed the dress chosen for her by her father from every angle. She gathered the skirt of the purple sundress, spread it out, then twirled, releasing a happy giggle. She knew there were plenty of members of the pack who thought she was too immature. They’d asked her father, more than once, to send her out on a solo hunt in order to prove her worth. A solo hunt was when a pack member, who has just come of age, or maturity, went out for a weekend, into the wilds of Colorado, set in the forests of Boulder, and brought down animal after animal for pack consumption. Deer, rabbits, squirrels, any type of prey. Their worth and expected contribution to the pack going forward was directly related to how much prey they returned with.

Annie hadn’t gone on her solo hunt yet.

At least… not one sanctioned by her father, Pierce, the pack Alpha.

Annie was what the humans called, a “Type A” personality, and what her mother, Lydia, used to call “an OCD perfectionist.” Whatever words that were used to describe her, they all boiled down to a few things.

Annie liked to be in control. Annie liked things to be structured and in order. Annie liked to study and know any and all possibilities for every situation she could ever find herself in. Annie liked to be prepared.

_Annie. Did. Not. Fail._

She tilted her head as she stared at her reflection. While she knew her father thought the dress she wore was acceptable to meet the man he’d betrothed her too--though Pierce had merely told her that they were having dinner with the other Alpha and his second--Annie had her own plans for the rest of her life. Plans she’d set in motion from the moment she turned four years old and had gotten her first stress headache. Of course, with her being a wolf shifter, the headache had simply flared for a moment before quickly dissipating, but it was an experience Annie had not long forgotten. And it was a pain she’d experienced repeatedly in her life in moments of extreme stress. Which was why she made lists. Why she planned.

Why she had no problem screaming, throwing tantrums, stomping her feet, or using the big, blue eyes she’d inherited from her mother, to get people to do what she wanted. She knew that meant others sometimes called her a spoiled brat, but their harsh and envious words didn’t last long, nor did they affect her. Annie was _always_ right. Her instructions, her plans, her fierce, obsessive attention to detail was one of the main reasons the Hawthorne pack was still alive.

So that was why she’d made a plan when she’d turned 16 and overheard her father talking about needing to marry her off to another pack, or to find some way to join their pack with another, in order to fix the low birth rate, and gain more soldiers.

Annie’s list had contained a list of all the Alphas in the area. She’d separated and considered them based on a number of factors:

_Age_

_Height_

_Weight_

_Sexuality_

_Education_

_Ambition_

_Looks_

_Current Status (Single, Divorced, Widowed, Married)_

Of course, she was still Annie, so there had been subcategories, appendixes, footnotes, and the like. She’d then gone through and eliminated those who did not pass muster.

_Too old_

_Too fat_

_Too stupid_

_Too lazy_

_Too short_

_Married_

_Too strong-willed_

In the end there had only been one Alpha left on the list…

 _Jeffrey Winger_.

She’d gone to try and get a glimpse of the Greendale Alpha, but had never been able to. Annie had been devising a way to meet him, when she’d followed her father and come across the two men agreeing to marry her off to a man she didn’t even know. Regardless of if she’d decided to marry him or not, it _so_ was not their choice to make.

Which was why she was going to make them both regret it.

Annie’s plans did not include letting her father, or the man soon to be her husband, dictate her life because they thought she was “too young” or “too innocent.” There was so much her father didn’t know, and things her future husband would _never_ know.

Like the fact that Annie had been on at least thirteen solo runs since she’d turned 14. She would make a deal with whatever young pup was being sent out to be tested, she would bring back the dead prey, and they would agree to secret training, taught by her, to ensure they passed mettle and became efficient, capable, exemplary pack members and soldiers. Annie had studied Krav Maga, Jiu Jitsu, Karate, Capoeira, Aikido, Judo, Hapkido, Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, and Tai Chi at her mother’s insistence. She’d even mastered yoga and regularly took Pilates in order to stay flexible. This was in addition to the ballet, gymnastics, and dance lessons her father had wanted her to take, which pretty much made Annie a _badass_.

Something she would make sure her new husband discovered rather quickly.

Which meant she had to change her outfit.

Annie walked over to her nightstand to grab her cellphone. She pressed 5 on her speed dial list.

“Hellooooo Princess Annie! What can I do for you today?” Craig Pelton, her assistant called out over the line, his flamboyant exuberance making Annie smile.

“We need to go shopping to get me a new outfit for this dinner tonight,” Annie stated, bouncing slightly on her toes.

“Oh, absolutely! I’ll be right there in two shakes of a dalmatian’s tail,” Craig answered, hanging up before Annie could correct him.

_I hope you’re ready to meet your future Alpha Consort, Jeff Winger. You’re not going to know what hit you._

* * * *

Britta Perry-Hawthorne hated her husband.

No. That was _not_ conjecture, or assumption, or even a joking statement made in the heat of the moment.

She _hated_ Pierce Hawthorne. With every single, minute inch of her body.

She gave Pierce a tight smile when he lifted his glass of brandy in her direction, as they waited for their guests to arrive. They were also waiting for Annie to get there, but Britta assumed that Annie was nervous, or trying to figure out some way to get out of this betrothal. Britta could have told her there was no use. Annie was stuck. She was going to have to marry the Greendale alpha. Whether she wanted to or not.

Just like Britta had to marry Pierce ten years before, when she was just 21.

_Gods! I wish I could just kill him and be done with it._

Britta allowed her mind to drift to the macabre in relation to Pierce’s death, unworried about anyone knowing her thoughts. Pierce wasn’t her true mate. They had married, but never been bound to the other. He had given her his mark, but it was one which had to be renewed with the presence of every full moon, which erased the temporary “marks” of those who were not destined to be one soul, one heart, _one wolf_.

Britta had long ago given up the possibility of her finding her true mate, so she endured the touch of the man her parents had joined her too, every full moon, and then the rest of the month she refused to let him kiss her, touch her, or bed her.

_Poor Annie. She’s much more innocent than I was at her age. She’s going to be so disillusioned by this marriage._

Shaking her head, Britta lifted her beer--a special brew created by a pack member, with anise included, in order to help them all get drunk and feel the buzz. _It was delicious._

Britta wasn’t sure how many bottles of beer she was going to have to drink in order to get her through that interminable evening, but she had more than enough to help her forget--even if for just a few hours--that she was married to Pierce Hawthorne.

And with the way her life was going, that was the best she could ask for.

* * * *

Jeff adjusted his leather jacket, before he lifted his hand to knock on the door. He turned to look at Shirley and gave her a nod of reassurance. His second-in-command was a formidable woman. Around the same age as him, Shirley was a very attractive, curvy woman, with medium brown skin, and curly black hair that she always kept pulled up into a top knot on the top of her head. Though Shirley prided herself on being “loved” by everyone, and went out of her way to ensure the reputation of being likable, she was deadly when the situation called for it. More than once Jeff had only to look at her and she would shift into her wolf and attack whatever pack member or enemy was causing issues.

“Are you sure about this Jef-frey?” She questioned with a sweet lilt to her words.

He glanced over at her and nodded. “Trust me, Shirley. I know that Pierce suggested this because he has something up his sleeve, but the thing is, I’m not so easily manipulated or swayed. It’s going to take more than some cute, teeny bopper, spoiled, little, rich girl, who was raised as a princess, with Pierce, the jackass, as her father to ever get me to a place where I am vulnerable or where I let my guard down. So we’ll go in here, make nice with Alpha Hawthorne and his alcoholic Alpha consort, Britta-who I think is wife number 2? 3? Then we’ll be introduced to the young woman who is going to be my wife. I’ll pay her a compliment, sweet talk her, and you’ll go and have a look around.”

The door opened, and standing on the other side was Mrs. Britta Perry-Hawthorne, Pierce’s wife. Just as he had the first time he’d met her, over five years ago, Jeff was stunned by how attractive she was.

“Hello, Alpha Consort Britta. Still find me repulsive?” He asked with a smirk.

Britta rolled her eyes. “Has anything about you changed, besides you getting a year older?” She asked.

Jeff shrugged. “I’m a whole lot more handsome than I was the last time you saw me.”

Britta fake gagged and Jeff chuckled. Britta huffed and stepped back, pulling the door open further.

“Just because you’re marrying my stepdaughter, and our packs will be joined, don’t think this makes you any closer to actually sleeping with me. I’ve been having to lay under Pierce for the last ten years. Every man on Earth is repulsive to me,” Britta informed him before turning and stumbling away, drunkenly.

Jeff shook his head and shared a look with Shirley, before they followed Britta into what Jeff guessed was the sitting room. The room contained matching, oak wood furniture with plush, thickly cushioned, gold cushions and decorative pillows of white, black, and green, resting on the couches, sofas, and chairs, as well as piled up in various corners of the massive room, no doubt for when pack members wanted to rest while they were still in their wolf form. On the walls were various paintings. Some were really expensive--no doubt originals--Rembrandts, Picassos, van Goghs, and Matisses. Some were paintings of Pierce and his different wives, done by some unknown artist, but most were of a little brunette, with big, blue eyes. She looked innocent, adorable, precious.

The paintings followed her from birth up until, Jeff would guess, she was fifteen or sixteen. There were even black and white photographs of the same girl throughout her life. Jeff walked around the room, admiring the girl he could only assume was Annie, some with an older, sophisticated woman, dressed elegantly, a stiff smile on her face. There was only one picture where it seemed that she had a genuine smile. She was watching the younger girl--Annie--as she performed an arabesque.

_Dating Gwynnifer was good for one thing. I now know the proper terms for ballet positions._

Jeff snorted internally and continued moving around the room. He took in the assorted knickknacks. The appearance of handmade clay sculptures, sketches, some small paintings--signed “Annie”, and…

_Are those dioramas? Who the hell makes dioramas outside of school and keeps them?_

“My princess is extremely smart and very talented,” Pierce’s voice was filled with pride as he strode over to Jeff from the doorway. “I can always count on her to either know everything, and have the answer to whatever question I have. Or for her to be smart enough, and talented enough to entertain guests, to gain information, or to simply continue to be a shining light for us all.” Pierce chuckled as he shook his head, picking up a framed photo of a young Anne, with her two front teeth missing, grinning widely at the camera, and holding up a sheet of paper, proudly displaying the “A+” on a test paper.

“Holy shit, Alpha Pierce,” Jeff breathed, showing the older man a modicum of respect. “Do you actually have a gentle, loving, and soft side?”

Pierce set the picture down, and turned to glare over at Jeff. “Only when it comes to my Annie.” He stepped forward and poked Jeff in the sternum. “You just remember that as loving and gentle as I am with her, I can be just as deadly, dangerous, and lethal when it comes to protecting her.” His voice lowered to a growl, his eyes turning the gold color of his wolf, his fangs puncturing through his gums as he partially shifted, stepping threateningly towards Jeff. “And getting revenge on anyone who hurts her. Physically, mentally, or emotionally.”

Jeff smirked and nodded his head. “Duly noted. Threat received and acknowledged.”

He turned, walked away from Pierce, determined to keep his distance from the man as long as he could, and was just making his way over to the fireplace mantle where more pictures sat when he heard a series of gasps behind him. He spun on his heel, dead set on finding out what had caused such a reaction and…

_Holy._

_Fucking._

_Shitballs._

_Pierce’s daughter is a goddamn goddess, walking and breathing among mere mortals._

Standing at the bottom of the grand staircase, that could be seen from the opening of the living room, was a petite, curvaceous, bombshell beauty. She looked a bit like a 1940’s pinup model, and Jeff had the sudden urge to take a picture of her and tape it to the ceiling above his bed.

 _What sweet dreams I would have_.

Annie stood in a pair of purple stilettos, with purple ribbons that wrapped around her legs and tied midway up her calves. Her legs were sheathed in a pair of fishnet stockings, but it was her body--holy fuck, _her body_ \--wrapped in a purple, bodycon dress that revealed more of her body than it hid, displaying her impressive cleavage in a magnificent way, that had him so hypnotized. Annie had a coke-bottle shape body. A nice round ass, thick hips, and big, luscious breasts. Though he could tell she was shorter than him, Jeff saw that as a positive, not a deterrent.

_I can hold her in my arms and fuck her as I move around the room, or even up against the wall…_

Her chestnut brown hair held loose curls, her big, blue eyes stared at him, with a smoky eyeshadow on her lids, her lips were painted a dark, magenta red color, but when she tossed him a smirk, Jeff felt as if his knees weakened and his legs were going to collapse beneath him. She smiled at him fully, her white teeth gleaming in the light, and Jeff gasped. He felt as if he’d been punched right in the solar plexus and he couldn’t breathe.

His feet were moving before he was even aware of it, and the closer he got to her, the more he felt his wolf fighting to take control. It was a feeling he’d never experienced before, but as he tilted his nose slightly in the air, he realized his wolf was in pursuit of that delicious fragrance.

_Apple blossoms. Strawberries. Hot cocoa. And top-shelf Scotch._

_Fucking delicious._

Jeff felt his canines lengthen, and it was as if the rest of the world faded away, and his entire being, all of his focus was centered on getting to Annie. He heard a distant murmuring of voices, and yet, he didn’t care enough to stop and distinguish who was saying what. He just wanted--no, he _needed_ \--to get to Annie.

_Mine._

_Mine._

_Mine._

_Mine._

_Mine Mine Mine Mine Minemine._

He and his wolf were in complete agreement. Annie was _theirs_.

_This arrangement was the best contract I ever entered into._

He stopped directly in front of her, and saw that her blue eyes were now amber, and knew his had changed to be the same. He bent over, and without asking, wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up until their faces were even.

“You are my true mate,” he growled. “Do you understand?”

Annie nodded.

“I want to give you my mark. Claim you for my own. Do you consent?” He asked through gritted teeth, barely holding onto his self-restraint.

Annie nodded.

“I do.”

And with those two words, Jeff struck, sinking his canines into the base of her neck where her throat joined her shoulder. He drank enough of her blood, and buried his teeth far enough into her skin for the bonding to take place, and he felt it. The moment it happened, Jeff felt his throat briefly clog with emotion.

It was as if a piece of him that he hadn’t even known was missing had returned to him. Sliding into place. Locking. Changing him forever.

He was whole.

Complete.

And that was all. Annie’s. Fault.

He slid his teeth free, his shaft hardening as Annie moaned. He licked at the swiftly healing puncture marks, watching with pride as his mark appeared on Annie’s neck like a tiny tattoo. A wolf’s head with a “J” in the center of its forehead. He lowered her to her feet, and took a small step back, still holding both of her hands.

He grinned when she blushed, but his grin turned to a chuckle when he heard her thoughts in his head, echoing his own disjointed ramble.

_Oh shucks. I didn’t know he was my true mate. What the crap am I going to do now?_

Jeff was just about to respond, when someone grabbed his shoulder, spun him away from Annie, and launched a hard punch at his face.

Jeff collapsed to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

It wasn’t the best first impression to give the woman who was created by the gods just for him.

_Fucking. Great._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who punched Jeff? (I think we all know) And what will happen to our Greendale Alpha now that he has met the woman destined to be his? Will this change his behavior?
> 
> The next chapter will be posted next week! And be prepared, more characters are going to show up, and their involvement is going to make this mating/marriage extremely interesting. Yes, that's right! Here they come!
> 
> TROY AND ABED ARE WOLF SHIFTERS!!!!!


	3. Definitely Going To Be A Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alpha Jeff and his future wife, Annie, the princess of the Hawthorne Pack, get to know each other, and a problem exposes itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your comments! I so appreciate it, and all of the encouragement. I may post another chapter tomorrow, but I finished this one early and decided to post it.

**Chapter Two**

Annie sat in a chair and stared down at the man who’d claimed her, before being punched by her stepmother. She glanced over at Britta who sat in a chair on the other side of the formal living room, drinking from the glass she held in her hand. Annie frowned at her, before looking over at the beautiful black woman--who had been identified as Shirley Butcher, and Jeff’s second for the Greendale pack. Shirley stood in front of Annie and Jeff, her arms crossed tightly in front of her chest, looking quite menacing as she glared at Britta and Annie’s father, Pierce.

Annie and Shirley hadn’t really talked much, except to figure out how to lift Jeff’s limp body to get him onto the couch. After which, Shirley had taken up a position as guard, growling at anyone who tried to get too close.

“Uhhh,” Jeff groaned as he blinked open his eyes, and Annie leaned close to him, placing her hand on his forehead.

“Jeff? Are you okay?” She asked.

“Wh-where am I?” Jeff grunted. He opened his eyes fully, then inhaled deeply, before moaning. He reached out and grabbed Annie, pulling her down on top of him, apparently intrigued by her squealing, judging by the deep chuckle he let out. He nuzzled the skin below her ear, and though Annie had been squirming, she wasn’t really trying to get away. It wasn’t long before she sank into him, moaning as Jeff licked at her skin.

“Alpha Winger? You may want to wait until you have the princess alone before you know--” Shirley’s voice pierced the fog of lust that Annie had found herself in. She suddenly remembered where they were, and she gasped, pressing her hands against Jeff’s shoulders and sitting next to him on the couch as he sat up himself.

Annie looked around the room, her face flaming hot. Her father’s eyes were narrowed as he stared at Jeff, but they softened instantly when he looked over at her. But it was Britta whose look gave Annie pause.

_ What’s up with Britta glaring at me like that? _ Jeff’s voice entered Annie’s mind, and her eyes widened as she looked over at him.

_ Why can I hear you? Can you hear me? _ She asked mentally, staring at his face. His eyes widened as well, before amusement and happiness filled them.

_ Did your father and mother never teach you about the benefits of bonding with your true mate? _ He asked her.

Annie shook her head.  _ No. My mother thought she had more time, and my father treats me like a little girl still. I don’t think he ever truly considered the idea that I might leave him one day. _ She glanced over at her father and found Pierce staring at her, with his head tilted as if he was confused by what was happening.  _ And I’m not sure that he’s ever had a true mate, himself. _

“Alpha?” Shirley spoke and Jeff touched the back of Annie’s hand, before turning to his second. Annie bit her bottom lip, struggling to contain the shiver that tried to work its way through her.

“I’m okay, Shirley. Thank you.” He nodded his head at her, and Annie watched as Shirley’s body instantly relaxed and a soft smile spread across her face before she held out a hand to Annie.

“It’s so nice to formally meet you, An-nie,” she said.

Annie blinked in surprise at her, and wondered why her voice had gone soft, high, and almost cloying. She took Shirley’s hand, and smiled back through her confusion.

“Nice to meet you as well, Shirley,” she responded with a wide grin. Jeff inhaled sharply, and Annie glanced over at him.

“Jeff? Are you okay?” She asked, placing a hand on his thigh, and the other on his forehead without thought. Though she was a secret badass, her mother and her mother’s best friend, who had been Annie’s nanny growing up, had taught her about compassion and nursing. Annie truly believed that had she been born in another time, or universe, she might have pursued a career in medicine. Maybe hospital administration. It was helping people through organization and control. Which was right in her wheelhouse.

_ Yes, it’s just your smile. It’s lovely. _ Jeff told her, pulling Annie from her thoughts.  _ And you touching me is going to alert everyone to the fact that I find you extremely desirable. _

Annie gasped and jerked her hands away from Jeff, before folding them in her lap, her body flushing hot.

_ Subtle, Annie. Very subtle, _ Jeff’s thoughts slid into her mind, as well as his chuckle. She shook her head and bit her bottom lip to prevent the smile that wanted to spread across her lips.

“Well, now that you’re awake and your second here doesn’t seem as if she’s going to try to kill my wife anymore, let’s talk,” Pierce said, as he walked over to take a seat in one of the armchairs across from Jeff and Annie.

Jeff folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the cushions behind him. Annie looked at him, before turning her attention over to Britta. She tilted her head as she observed her stepmother. The older woman was well on her way to being drunk off her ass, and yet she still sat gracefully upright as she scowled in Jeff’s direction.

_ Did you ever sleep with Britta? _ She questioned Jeff.

_ What? No! _ Jeff denied. He frowned.  _ At least, I don’t think so. _

Annie rolled her eyes. “Britta? Can you tell me why you felt a need to punch my mate?” She asked.

Britta scoffed. “Why not?” She shrugged.

Annie shook her head and crossed her own arms beneath her breasts, smirking when Jeff’s eyes fell to her cleavage.  _ Nice to know I can affect you just by crossing my arms. _

_ Minx _ , Jeff returned with a smirk of his own.

“Why not is not really an answer, Britta,” Annie stated.

Britta growled slightly, her eyes flashing gold for a moment. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes a second later and stared intently at Annie. So intently that Annie felt a little unnerved.

“I punched him because _he claimed you_ _without asking_! He’s a pig and an unfeeling bastard to do such a thing, Annie. Don’t you understand?” She asked angrily, her eyes flicked over to Pierce for just a brief moment and Annie’s eyes widened with understanding. She shook her head and grabbed Jeff’s hand when she felt him stiffen next to her and growl lowly. She glanced at him and saw that his eyes had turned gold with a red outline.

_ Uh-oh _ .

“No, no, Britta! I know it looked like that, but…” She briefly allowed her eyes to meet Jeff’s. “It’s not like that. I think it’s different when you’re true mates, you know? I mean…” She shrugged. “I don’t know a lot about true mates…” Annie bit her lower lip, her eyes dropping as she started to make a list of things she needed to do. “I should probably go and look up some information. Maybe do some research on previous mated pairs, see what I should look forward to, perhaps see what the likelihood is of two shifters…” She stopped and looked around when she felt a number of eyes on her. Her father was looking at her with a proud smile on his face, a look Annie saw often. Britta was looking at her with an expression of amazement and incredulousness. Shirley was looking at her as if she was impressed, but it was Jeff, whose expression made her blush. His blue eyes had darkened, he had a soft smile on his face, and was staring at her as if she were the most beautiful and precious person in the world.

_ I think you just might be _ , Jeff’s words slid through her mind and down her body, tightening her nipples and causing her stomach to clench with excitement and arousal. Jeff’s answering chuckle caused her to blush with embarrassment.

“Well, now that we’ve got that somewhat settled…” Pierce said, giving Britta an assessing look. “Let us discuss the terms of the joining of our packs, and what shall be brought about when you marry my daughter.”

“Father!” Annie gasped. She glanced back and forth between Shirley and Jeff. “I’m sorry about him.”

Pierce shrugged in confusion. “What? It’s not like I insulted the woman. I asked the one in charge. The man.”

Annie rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Unbelievable.”

“Excuse me?” Shirley asked, squaring her shoulders.

“He does  _ not _ speak for the pack, even if he is the Alpha,” Britta muttered and took another sip of her newly poured glass of bourbon. “Racist, misogynistic idiot.”

Pierce laughed embarrassed. “Oh now, honey. Don’t share your pet names for me with everyone.”

Annie rubbed her forehead. “Okay, can we please move on?”

“Indeed,” Jeff remarked. “Since I’ve already claimed Annie…” he dropped a hand on her bare knee, his thumb rubbing deliciously distracting circles on her skin. She cleared her throat, and gently removed his hand, glaring at his forwardness. “Really, the ceremony is just a formality.” He shrugged. “Let’s just make sure it’s as soon as possible.”

He looked over at Annie, and sat back, placing his arm along the back of the couch they were sitting on. “How long do you think it will take you to plan a wedding, Annie?”

She bounced excitedly, up and down, choosing to ignore Jeff’s groan of arousal next to her as he watched her. “I have a binder! Hold on, let me go get it!”

“Princess! Princess!” Pierce shook his head. “You don’t run to fetch anything. That’s why you have an assistant.” He clapped his hands and the doors to the room opened, Craig rushing in.

“Yes Alpha? Did you need some--” His words cut off as he looked over at Jeff. “Oh my… well, hello again, Alpha Winger. Did you need me to help you with something? Perhaps to show you to the bathroom and give you some hands on assistance?”

Annie flashed her canines at him, feeling her wolf rise quickly to the surface. She growled. “Watch yourself, Craig. He’s  _ mine _ .”

“Damn, that’s hot,” Jeff muttered beside her.

Craig lowered his head, and bared his neck at her. “Forgive me, Princess. I forgot myself.”

“Don’t let it happen again,” Annie warned. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply so that her wolf receded. “I need you to go to my office and grab my wedding binder, then bring it to me.”

Craig nodded and turned to leave. Feeling a sudden urge to stake her claim, Annie sat back and leaned into Jeff’s side, sighing when he wrapped his arm around her. Craig returned and paused for a second when he noticed her new position. He then walked over and handed her the binder, and turned to leave. Annie narrowed her eyes as he did.

_ He may be a problem, _ she told Jeff. He chuckled.

_ He’s harmless, _ he refuted.  _ Besides, as you said… I’m yours. _

Annie nodded resolutely, then turned her attention to the binder. A wide grin broke out on her face.

“Alright! Let’s plan a wedding!”

Four hours later, after every detail of the wedding had been discussed and argued over, and they had consumed a meal and had drinks together, Annie escorted Jeff and Shirley to the door, she and Shirley walking arm-in-arm. The two of them had become fast friends, both of them realizing they had an ally in the other when it came to ideas about weddings, marriage, matings, and even pack politics…

To a degree.

Annie made sure she didn’t think anything that would let Jeff know her ultimate plans, but once she figured out how this whole “ _ true mates _ ” thing worked, she’d be able to have free thoughts again.

“It was so nice to meet you, An-nie. I can’t wait until you’re around the Alpha house every day. You’re just going to love my son, Troy, and his best friend Abed,” Shirley told her, with a big grin.

Annie bounced slightly. “I can’t wait! They sound like such fun boys.”

Shirley waved and Annie returned the gesture before she turned to Jeff. She looked up at him through her eyelashes, shivering slightly as he pushed her hair back behind her ear, then tilted her head up by sliding his finger under her chin. He stared down at her, his eyes soft, then darkening. Annie could smell the arousal rolling off him, and she groaned softly.

“Hurry up and kiss me, Jeff, before my father comes,” she told him.

“So bossy,” Jeff responded, before leaning down and taking her lips with his own in a deeply passionate, and fiery kiss. Annie wrapped her arms around his neck, and jumped as he went to lift her into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and clung to him. She could feel her wolf pressing against her ribcage, wanting desperately to be free in order to mate with the wolf that belonged to them.

“ _ Fuck _ ,” Jeff growled as he ripped his mouth away from her lips and pressed his forehead against hers, the both of them panting, their breaths mingling. “I better leave now, or I’m going to rip off your panties and fuck you right here in the doorway of your father’s home.” He planted one more deep kiss on her lips, then set her back down on her feet. “See you in five days for our wedding, Annie. Or should I say, the future Mrs. Winger?” He winked at her, then pressed a kiss onto her forehead, and walked off to join Shirley in his Lexus.

Annie waved as they drove away, aware of her father stepping up next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“Very good, Princess. He’s already addicted to you. Absolutely smitten. Now let’s go talk in my study. There’s something your father needs you to do once you move into your new home.”

Annie nodded and turned back towards the house, distinctly aware of Craig lurking in the bushes.

_ Definitely going to be a problem. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many of you thought the punch came from Britta? LOL. I based that off of Annie punching Jeff in the face in Episode 1 of Season 2. 
> 
> Uh-oh... who thinks Craig is going to be a problem? And what is Alpha Pierce up to? And Troy and Abed are coming! Woohoo!!


	4. The New Alpha Consort...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alpha Jeffrey Winger marries Annie Edison Hawthorne, the Princess of Hawthorne Pack...  
> And someone has a problem with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the comments, the compliments, and the encouragement! I so appreciate it.

**The New Alpha Consort**

Troy growled and bounded after his best friend, Abed, in wolf form. The two of them had been instructed by their alpha, Jeff, to decorate the pack grounds for his wedding to the Hawthorne princess, but Troy and Abed had been distracted by all of the flowers and pretty streamers that had been placed around the whole area. Troy knew that they would need to stop playing in a while in order to get back to fulfilling their duties soon, but not until he was finally able to catch Abed.

Just as he went to chase after Abed once more, there was a very powerful and loud thud as a much larger, much more powerful wolf came running into the field. Troy knew who it was almost instantly, and the fear he felt made him and his wolf, both, start to whine.

 _Alpha_.

Alpha Jeff was much more laid back than most other alphas that Troy had ever come in contact with. But the wolf could still display a pretty powerful temper when he felt he was being disobeyed.

And Troy and Abed were definitely disobeying him.

**_Didn’t I tell you both to decorate for my wedding?_ **

_Y-yes, Alpha Jeff. But we just…_

**_Do you understand what’s at stake here?_ **

Troy felt his wolf being forced to recede and his human self being pulled out into the open. When he opened his eyes, he found himself facing a very nude, very angry Alpha Jeff. He instantly tilted his head to the side, in an act of submission. He could sense Abed doing the same, and Troy breathed a sigh of relief that his best friend hadn’t felt the need to talk “pop culture” to their alpha. Not when he was full of anxiety like he was right now.

“Do you think that giving The Hawthorne Princess her fairytale wedding will help alleviate your guilt over your original intention to use your marriage to her as a way to get over on her father?” Abed asked. “In most romantic comedies and even romantic dramas, when the hero tries to make a grand gesture for all the wrong reasons, it never works out the way he had hoped. Indeed, he has to go through a major journey of character growth and development in order to learn how to make the gesture one that she would be receptive to.”

Troy groaned and shook his head. _Spoke too soon._

Jeff crossed his arms and stepped close to Abed, his voice lowering. “Is that right?”

Abed nodded, unaware of just how close he was to having Alpha Jeff punish him by sending him to the pack nursery to watch the newborn cubs—” _Who were incapable of appreciating good cinema!_ ” according to Abed—simply nodded. He pointed upwards as his mind, no doubt, scanned through all of the film and television he’d ever watched in order to find the perfect example. “Yes, like Justin Timberlake in the little known classic romantic comedy he starred in opposite Mila Kunis, known as Friends With Benefits, Justin’s character, Dylan, makes a grand gesture by inviting Mila’s character, Jamie along with him to meet his family. It doesn’t turn out the way he expected because he hadn’t really reconciled with the fact that he was in love with her.”

Abed tilted his head to the side. “While I don’t believe that you are in love with The Hawthorne Princess, your scent _has_ changed. You smell vaguely of her. There’s an aroma of settledness that wasn’t there before. Which leads me to deduce that you and she have mated.” He frowned. “Which is strange because your meeting of her, wasn’t it supposed to take place in front of her father and stepmother? How could you mate with her with everyone present? The Hawthorne Princess did not strike me as a woman who would be given to exhibitionism…”

Troy’s eyes widened as he heard Jeff growl low in his throat.

_Oh shit._

“Abed! Buddy! Why don’t we go and finish the decoration. We don’t really need to ask the alpha questions…” Troy said, taking Abed by the wrist and slowly dragging him away and back towards the Alpha House where the decorations and food and chairs and things were waiting on them in the dining room. He could only hope that their alpha was too annoyed to come after them.

“Don’t worry, Alpha! We’ll get everything done. You should really go and get dressed!”

*** *** *** ***

Annie sat in the white, stretch limo that her father kept on retainer, as they headed towards the Greendale pack lands, nervousness and a slight bit of anxiety coursing through her body. She was wearing a white, strapless, sweetheart neckline, cathedral train, embroidered lace and satin, bridal ball gown, with purple heels. In keeping with the “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” mantra, Annie was wearing the same diamond hair clips on the right side of her loosely curled hair, that her mother wore on her wedding day. She also had on a new diamond necklace which had been delivered to her that morning courtesy of the man who she was going to marry. She’d been rather stunned that Jeff had sent her something sooooo… beautiful and romantic, but then again, she didn’t really _know_ the man to whom she’d been mated. As for her something borrowed, that would be the tiny “girl’s pea shooter” that her father had lent to her, which she was supposed to return because it belonged to his “friend”, a Doctor Escodara, who Annie was pretty sure was her former Spanish tutor. The .32 caliber Smith & Wesson special was tucked into her blue garter, beneath the skirt of her gown.

She refused to look at or speak to anyone else in the limo. Not her father, not her stepmother, _especially_ not her assistant, Craig, who had been sulking the entire morning. All through her hair and nail appointment, through her getting dressed, and through her overseeing the packing and moving of all her things. Annie was on the verge of screaming at him—something she hadn’t really done in years—when she remembered that it didn’t matter. She was _mated_ to Jeff Winger. They were bonded. And once he gave her the mating bite while they were having sex, then, not only would they be bonded for all eternity, or until one of them died, but they would have the ability to _mind-speak_ to each other. A way of communicating outside of the Alpha-Pack speak, when an Alpha could talk to the members of his pack, free of having the need to be mated to them all. And not only would they be able to _mind-speak_ , but their minds would automatically share various memories, they would be able to sense when the other was in danger, and any feelings or emotions the other was experiencing. But more than that…

Their wolves would have a desperate urge to always be around each other. To be connected. To be in the same space with the other. It was already starting, if Annie was being honest with herself. That urge, that itch, that need… so deep and strong it was like a deeply rooted _burn_ beneath her skin, to have him touching her in some way. To be able to smell him. To be able to taste him.

To have him _inside_ of her.

Which meant that Annie didn’t have too long to set her revenge in motion.

She hadn’t forgotten her goals. Annie Edison Hawthorne, aka The Hawthorne Princess, always accomplished every goal she ever set. No matter what obstacles, no matter who tried to stand in her way. And she never let anyone forget that trying to run or control her life was met not only with fierce opposition, but also a searing revenge.

For all of her bouncy, upbeat optimism, Annie Edison Hawthorne could be kind of scary.

“Are you alright, my dear?” Her father asked.

Annie glanced up and gave Pierce a big, bright smile. “Oh, I’m fine, Daddy,” she said, making sure to sigh happily and bounce slightly on her seat. She had affected the right amount of excitement, faux-innocence, and trepidation, because she could scent the smell of her father’s relief. “I’m just really excited about the wedding… and getting married to Jeffrey Winger.”

Pierce frowned and sat forward, his belly barely contained in the button-down white tuxedo shirt, he wore, the black tuxedo jacket lay on the seat next to him. He gestured at her. “You’re not getting any… romantic ideas about that pointy-faced alpha are you?” He shook his head. “Annie, he’s obviously gay.”

Annie’s stepmother scoffed and rolled her eyes. Annie glanced over at Britta and lowered her eyebrows in confusion. While Britta had punched Jeff, with little to no remorse, Annie was still a bit hesitant about the older woman and her feelings towards Jeff. Annie had never experienced the feelings roiling through her. The anxiety and jealousy that flooded her being as she thought about Britta feeling _anything_ towards Jeff other than pure ambivalence. It was new for her, as Annie had never been jealous about any other relationship she’d had ever before.

As a matter of fact, her relationships prior to mating with Jeff had all been as a means to an end. She’d been desiring companionship of some kind and so had gone out to find someone to fulfill that role. No, the only thing Annie had ever been jealous or envious of anyone over had been about some sort of academic or shifter-pack structured promotion or achievement that someone else had received which she’d felt she earned.

Because Annie Edison Hawthorne _earned_ everything she’d gotten as far as academic and professional success. And that would never change. No matter who she mated and married.

And yet, she could feel those dark emotions surging through her as she stared at her stepmother, and if the twitching of the various noses of the Hawthorne wedding/mating party was any indication, then everyone present in the limo could smell them as well. When Britta lifted her head from where she’d lay it against the window, and turned to look at Annie, she was unable to affect her usual bright and sunny smile.

Instead, she snarled. “Jeff is _mine._ ”

Britta blinked, then smirked back at her. “I don’t want your precious mate, you Barbie doll,” she sneered. “Your arrogance which masks the unyielding need you have to prove your worth through achievements, thinking that’s the only way you will receive love and affection from others, because you haven’t yet grieved the loss of your mother and your father is incapable of providing any type of healthy emotional attachment to you, matches perfectly with Jeff Winger’s misplaced, but stereotypical narcissism which is an obvious cover for the lack of affection and caring he didn’t receive from his parents. He projects an air of confidence and a haughty air of thinking he’s perfect which is simply a front for the anxiety he has that he’s not good enough.” She snorted and Annie could feel her skin grow hot as embarrassment dueled with rage within her.

“You’re perfect for each other. You’ll teach him how to love, because you just love everyone and are desperate for someone to _truly_ love you in return. And he’ll teach you how to have fun and be laid back. Plus once he learns about love and devotion, he’ll be so committed to you that he’ll give up his need to sleep around in order to remain emotionally distant, and you’ll never have to worry about him leaving you.” Britta leaned forward and even from across the limo, Annie could smell the liquor wafting up from her pores.

“I don’t want your mate. He’s not my type, so retract your claws. You’re a wolf, not a housecat.”

Annie gasped in surprise, then prepared to launch herself at Britta, wedding dress be damned, when the limo came to a halt right in front of Jeff’s Alpha house.

“Well, that was fortuitous. Us, stopping just before the two of you could come to blows,” Pierce said unnecessarily with a grin. “I know you both have a need to fight for my affection and attentions, but I love you both in different ways.” He cleared his throat and straightened his spine as they waited for everyone else to alight from the vehicle. “So, no more fighting, okay?”

Annie glanced over at Britta and shared a look of incredulity with her at how obtuse her father was, and it wasn’t long before they were both smiling at each other. For all of her need to psychoanalyze everyone around her, and her unending bitterness about the entire world, Britta wasn’t too bad.

_As long as she doesn’t touch my man again._

It was the last unpleasant thought Annie had as she was assisted from the limo behind the female pack members who were attending her as her bridesmaids. Annie didn’t really _know_ them, as they weren’t really friends of hers, and some of them were transplants from other packs, or from the Greendale pack, but they made attractive figures to stand up with her. Which was all that seemed to matter to her father.

Annie gasped as she walked into the Alpha House. Boxes and suitcases that belonged to her were being taken upstairs, being overseen by Craig and Shirley, Jeff’s second, her children running around the large building. Annie’s eyes could barely take in the expansive rooms, with their grey and black furnishings, noting areas she would definitely need to put her mark on, as she allowed herself to be escorted outside.

Where she froze.

“Oh my god,” she breathed.

The backyard of Jeff’s home had been turned into a fairytale. There were at least two hundred white chairs placed in straight lines in rows of ten. The chairs at the end were all decorated with small bouquets of purple and white lilies. The middle aisle was littered with white rose petals, and the trees surrounding the yard were wrapped with white and purple ribbons. A bar, covered with white rose petals sat at the back of the gathering, with five, white cloth covered tables sat opposite the bar, filled with covered trays of food. And one table, covered with a purple tablecloth held a massively large, seven tiered, white frosted cake, with purple fondant flowers cascading from the top to the bottom. And at the very top were four figurines: a dirty blond haired man, next to a brunette woman, and two wolves on either side of them.

But it was what sat at the end of the flower strewn aisle that caught Annie’s breath the most. A large flowered arch: with white, purple, and yellow roses covering it, waited for her. Jeff stood to one side of it, dressed in a white tuxedo with a purple tie, purple cummerbund, and purple pocket square, his hair styled perfectly, his wide smile shining in the sunlight. His groomsmen, a mix of some members of his pack and some from the Hawthorne pack, all dressed in black tuxedos, with purple cummerbunds, purple bowties, and purple pocket squares, beside him.

On the “Bride” side, there was a painting of Annie, standing with an image of her wolf, brown with bright blue eyes, and on the other side was a painting of Jeff, standing with an image of his wolf, large, with brown fur, and blue eyes as well. Annie swallowed nervously, and turned to allow Craig to remove the white wrap which covered her gown. She accepted the bridal bouquet, made up of white roses and purple lilies, from Britta and smiled as her stepmother made her way down the aisle ahead of the bridesmaids. Annie took her father’s arm and gave him a wide grin as Pierce pressed a kiss against her forehead.

“You are so beautiful. You look just like your mother,” he told her, his eyes growing mysteriously wet. Annie had never seen him cry over her mother before, and if she didn’t know the reality of what happened when one person in a **truly mated** pair died: namely that the other would die within 24 hours of them, she would have suspected that her father and her mother were true mates. But, they hadn’t been, but perhaps her father had loved her mother, in his own way.

“You have made me so proud, Annie,” Pierce continued. “And I know that once you sit in a position as Alpha Consort, you will continue to do so.”

Annie nodded. “I will, Daddy. I promise.”

Just then the music that had been playing by the small orchestra, that Annie was only now noticing, as they were set up next to the bar, changed to the Bridal March, and steeling her spine, Annie began walking towards Jeff. The man she was about to marry. The Alpha of the Greendale Pack.

Her true mate.

The man she would ultimately have to betray.

Once she was standing in front of him, and Pierce had announced loudly that he and her stepmother, Britta were giving her away, Annie let her eyes collide with Jeff’s. The older man was looking at her with an expression of awe, and Annie squirmed slightly at the tiny feeling of guilt that wriggled inside of her. She’d done what she had to do. And she always would.

“We are gathered here today to witness the joining of this man to this woman. The Alpha to the one the gods have created just for him. When a shifter finds their **True Mate** it is a time of celebration. A moment of extreme humility and gratitude, one which changes not only every pack affected, but every shifter who comes in contact with them. Alpha Jeffrey Tobias Winger, and Annie Edison Hawthorne, the Hawthorne Pack Princess, found one another when a merger had been agreed upon with the two packs. And yet, something amazing happened. These two people, these two shifters, who seem to be complete opposites, found themselves meeting their **True Mate**. Their lives were inexplicably changed in that moment. And so were all of ours. Our packs will now be more blessed due to their mating. Our lives, our own matings, and our cubs, have been smiled upon by the gods, thanks to the two of them finding each other. And we are all the more blessed for it,” the pack shaman stated. He smiled at Annie first, then at Jeff, before he cleared his throat.

“And now, for the vows…”

“Do you, Jeffrey Tobias Winger, Alpha of the Greendale Pack, take Annie Edison Hawthorne, to be your lawfully wedded wife, and do you embrace her as your mate, your companion, your partner and equal in all things, as befitting that of an Alpha Consort? Do you promise to uphold her as a wolf to be cherished, and honored, to be loyal, to be trustworthy and giving? Do you promise to stand by her side and support her through good times and bad, through rich and poor times, through hunts, providing her with cubs in order to continue your line and to expand our pack? Do you promise to keep her, to forgive her, and to treasure her, as befitting a **True Mate**?”

“I do and I swear.”

The shaman nodded before he turned to Annie.

“And do you, Annie Edison Hawthorne, Princess of the Hawthorne Pack, take Alpha Jeffrey Tobias Winger, to be your lawfully wedded husband, and do you embrace him as your mate, your companion, your partner and equal in all things, as befitting that of an Alpha Mate? Do you promise to submit to him, to seek him for his guidance, to allow him to cherish you, while caring for him simultaneously? Do you promise to honor him, to be loyal, trustworthy, and giving? Do you promise to stand by his side and support him in all things, good times and bad, through rich and poor times, through hunts, in battles, providing him with cubs in order to continue his line and to expand the pack? Do you promise to keep him, forgive him, and to give yourself to him fully, mind, body, and soul, as befitting a **True Mate**?”

Annie opened her mouth and hesitated, the shaman’s words causing the guilt within her to grow just a bit, and yet, as she went to say no, she found herself lost in Jeff’s eyes once again. That itch growing stronger. The need to be possessed by him becoming deeper. The fire that burned between them, becoming an inferno. She wanted to be married to him. Wanted to be claimed by him.

 _Needed_ him to take and claim her yet again.

“I do,” she answered.

“By the power vested in me by the State of Colorado, and the gods as pack shaman, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride, Alpha.”

Annie found herself pulled tightly against Jeff’s broadly muscled chest, his thick arms wrapping themselves around her, the broad fingers of his right hand gripping her right hip as the other buried the thick digits in her hair. He tilted her back slightly and smirked down at her for a moment.

“ _Mine_ ,” he growled, before he took her lips in a deeply passionate, and fiery kiss that didn’t seem like there was an end.

The loud scream from someone in the audience, which was quickly cut off, barely penetrated the haze of desire that surrounded them, and Annie pressed herself closer to the man who was now her husband.

“Pack members of the Greendale Pack and the Hawthorne Pack, may I now present to you, Alpha and Alpha Consort, Jeffrey and Annie Winger!” The shaman introduced them the moment Jeff released her lips and stood her back up on her feet.

Annie was aware of the packs applauding and cheering them on, and of the music changing to a much more festive, and lively tune, signaling the beginning of the mating reception, and yet, all she could think about was Jeff’s lips on hers, and his hand wrapped around her own as he led her down the aisle, and into the Alpha House so that their mating could be consummated.

She’d just have to find another way to get revenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sexy times are ahead...  
> Another True Mate is discovered...  
> There are shenanigans at the reception...  
> And someone is killed.


	5. The Power of True Mates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a new True Mates couple.  
> Pack members, Abed and Troy, study movies to prepare for what is coming.  
> Alpha Jeff and Princess Annie mate fully and completely... with a surprising ending.  
> And someone dies...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: Smuttiness ahead!*  
> Also, don't forget, this is a paranormal/fantasy type of story, so certain things happen easily and quickly **_because_** it's paranormal and fantastical.
> 
> Thank you all for your comments and encouragement! I try to respond to them all. Apologies if I haven't gotten to yours yet.
> 
> My other J/A Stories that are uploaded weekly:
> 
> The Former Mrs Winger  
> The Greendale Alpha  
> His Grace, Jeffrey Winger, The Duke of Greendale  
> Threads: Jeff and Annie  
> Don't Take The Girl

**The Power Of True Mates**

After Annie and Jeff disappeared inside, Britta wandered around the gathering of shifters, seeking out the source of the delicious scent that had filled her nostrils since she’d first gotten out of the limo. She didn’t know what Alpha Jeff’s pack members had cooked and baked for the wedding reception, she knew that the Hawthorne pack members were responsible for the healthy and vitamin-filled platters that she would usually consume, but this smell that haunted her was very carnal, skin, blood, and meat. It appealed to her baser instincts. To her wolf. A creature who wasn’t a vegan like her. Normally Britta would have avoided searching it out, but… she felt _compelled_ , driven, to find it.

Like her wolf had taken over and she couldn’t stop it.

“I think you’re looking for me,” a husky, very feminine voice said behind her, and Britta stopped and inhaled deeply again.

There it was. The source of the smell. It was lemon and sea and fresh trees and such a scent of _pure energy_ , that Britta wanted to roll around in it.

 _Mine_ , her wolf declared, and Britta turned around to find out what perfume the woman was wearing, or who the woman was.

Looking up at the other woman, Britta took in the appearance of her tall, lean frame. Her high cheekbones and dark eyes. The unknown woman had a wide smile, and her dark hair rested against the tops of her shoulders. She wore a button-down shirt and a pair of slacks. She appeared very professional and business-like, very no-nonsense, and Britta found herself wanting to tilt her head to bare her neck. Wanted the other woman to bury her canines in her throat. To claim her. It was a new, and yet not wholly unwelcome sensation. Need. Want. Yearning.

“W-what? How did you know that I was l-looking for you?” Britta stammered.

The woman smiled at her. “Because I’ve been looking for you,” the woman answered. She stepped closer to Britta and looked down into her face. “My wolf smelled you the instant you arrived. I was otherwise engaged in a meeting with a few of the other alphas present, or else I would have sought you out sooner.” She chuckled huskily. “I do believe you are my mate. My **True Mate**.”

Britta’s jaw dropped, and she trembled. The voices of her parents rang inside of her mind, taunting her, filling her with uncertainty.

 _“You cannot have a female_ **_True Mate_ ** _, Britta,” her mother had said, her tone patronizing. “It’s simply not something the gods would have allowed or done.”_

 _Her father nodded his head. “Indeed. There is no way a woman can give you pups, and that is the whole reason for_ **_True Mates_ ** _, to procreate and ensure that we have enough wolves to fight and stand against our mortal enemies, the vampires.” He gripped Britta’s shoulders in his large hands. “And until you meet the man who is your_ **_True Mate_ ** _you shall enter into marriage, and bond with Alpha Pierce Hawthorne. It will be good for our family. And for you.”_

But it hadn’t been good for Britta. It had been horrible for her. Every minute. Every hour. Every day in which she was still married to that horrible, misogynistic, slightly racist, carnivorous… _creatine_ , Britta found herself fighting against the darkness that she tried so hard to keep buried. The evil, disturbing part of her that thought and imagined things she could never share with anyone else.

Britta shook her head. “I-I can’t be. Women can’t have other women as **True Mates** ,” she denied.

The woman laughed. “Who told you that?”

Britta frowned. “M-my parents.”

Shaking her head, the unnamed woman took Britta’s hands in her own. “Well, they were obviously wrong, because I know that you are mine. And if you let yourself, and accept it, you’ll know that I am yours.”

Britta did know, but she couldn’t accept it. Wasn’t _allowed_ to. Not only because of her parents, but also because of the man she’d married. The man whose daughter had just married Alpha Jeff, another egotistical, self-centered, selfish, jackass of a man. Britta knew that a part of herself resented the power the two men held. The freedom in which they strode around Colorado and inhabited the world around them without fear of retribution or condemnation, or scorn. She hated the allowances that the world made for them. And she hated that they didn’t struggle with the insecurities and need to be constantly self-aware that she and other women like her, always had to deal with.

She hated them both.

“Ah, there you are, my dear,” Pierce’s voice was loud and slightly slurred, and Britta jerked her hands out of the other woman’s grip. Pierce walked up and put his arm around her shoulders. “I have made a most advantageous match for my favorite daughter. The pack will grow and be wealthy and successful, and soon Pack Hawthorne will be unstoppable.”

Britta knew he would have continued rambling, spilling all of the details of his nefarious plan—the one he’d cooked up with his _precious_ Annie—but he noticed that they were not alone, and he thankfully shut up. With his right arm still around Britta’s shoulders, he held out his left hand to the woman who Britta wanted to curl up against.

“Hello. I do not believe we have met. I am Alpha Piercinald Hawthorne. And you are?”

The woman smirked at him, her dark eyes dancing with amusement and a dark intent that Britta recognized echoed within herself.

“My name is Francesca, “Frankie”, Dart.”

Pierce nodded. “I see you have met my wife, Britta Hawthorne,” Pierce said, displaying an odd possessiveness that Britta had never experienced from him before.

Frankie nodded. “I have. Indeed, _Alpha_ Hawthorne,” Frankie began, in what sounded to Britta to be a mocking tone. “Your lovely wife and I were just discussing… a _treat_ that we may give to you on this day. The day you have lost your youngest daughter in marriage.”

Britta glanced up at Pierce and noticed the unholy gleam in his eyes.

 _Gross_ , she thought to herself. _He’s totally thinking about the three of us having a threesome._

It was an image that made Britta want to instantly dispose of every cigarette and bottle of liquor she had stashed on her person and back at the Hawthorne packlands.

“Oh really?” Pierce grinned. “How interesting. Perhaps we might discuss it?”

Frankie nodded, then took Britta’s hand and led her, Pierce following behind them, inside the Alpha house, and across the street to another home, which was immaculately kept both inside and out. They went inside, and upstairs to the master bedroom.

And when the door closed behind them, Britta having fully put her trust in the woman whom she knew to be her **True Mate** , her life was changed forever.

And Pierce’s life came to a rapid, startling, but wholly deserved end.

*** *** *** ***

“Troy, do you not find the behaviors of the wedding goers to be odd?” Abed asked Troy as the two of them stood off to the side of the makeshift dance floor.

“In what way, Abed?” Troy asked.

“Well, clearly the joining of the Hawthorne Pack and the Greendale Pack should be cause for celebration, and yet, we both know that it will lead to betrayals, and fighting, and shenanigans.” Abed looked at Troy and frowned. “And if this were a horror, or a drama, I would even say that there might be a death or two. And definitely some unrequited love, or stalking. So why do they celebrate, when the genre and plot of our story has yet to be fully established?”

Troy frowned as well and glanced around at everyone. “Maybe they don’t know that we’re in a movie?”

Abed shook his head. “Not a movie, Troy. This is obviously a show. But I feel like we were supposed to be a comedy show, but we were thrown into a universe where there is not much to laugh at. Our plot seems to have gone off the rails, our characters are much darker and more primal than I feel the original writers intended us to be. We live lives that are mostly dictated by our basest, most carnal needs and desires. To eat. To have sex. To multiply. To kill” He sighed and shook his head again. “I fear that there may be something even darker coming for us, Troy, and we are very unprepared for it.”

Troy gasped, then covered his mouth with a fist. His eyes welled with tears, and he shuddered. “So what do we do?” He asked. “How do we prepare?”

Abed stood frozen for a long moment, his eyes assessing, before he nodded and pointed upwards in a decisive type of movement. “We shall watch the movies created and starring some of the most elite actors to know what to do when faced with a war within, or two battling families.”

Troy’s eyes widened as he gasped again. “Actors? You mean… _vampires_?” He asked, whispering the last word.

Abed rolled his eyes slightly. “Of course I mean vampires, Troy. We all know that actors are vampires. They drain us of our time and money, our admiration, and try to hide their true natures.” He muttered in disgust. “And their portrayals of wolf shifters is extremely insulting.”

He patted Troy on the shoulder. “Come, Troy. We must study.”

Troy nodded excitedly. “Let’s go!”

*** *** *** ***

Annie stared up at Jeff as he stepped inside of the master suite they would now be sharing as husband and wife, Alpha and Alpha Consort, **True Mates** , and shivered as he lowered her slowly to the ground, her body sliding along his. The base of her neck, where her mark from him lay, burned and tingled in a blissful sort of pleasurable pain, and Annie bit her lower lip in order to stifle her whimper. But the all-knowing, and smug smirk that Jeff gave her, let her know that she was unsuccessful.

She sighed as Jeff lowered his head and began kissing the side of her neck. She felt as if she should be acting coy, or fighting against him, but the way her skin grew more sensitive, her nipples puckered, and her core tightened and grew hot and wet, Annie knew she was helpless to try and deny not only her physical, womanly urges, but also her wolf’s need to be claimed, mounted, and bonded with their mate.

Though externally she groaned, gripped, and whined against the skin of Jeff’s neck, his now bare torso, his shoulders, his abs, and his pecs—paying special attention to his nipples as he seemed to derive more pleasure from the action than she normally did—internally, Annie was still Annie. She reorganized. Replotted. Restructured. Replanned. She allowed her wolf free reign of her actions and body, but Annie Edison Hawthorne-Winger was a very special kind of wolf shifter. Able to function on two levels seemingly simultaneously. She could hunt and shift, have sex, eat, and do all manner of things in her shifter mode, her wolf in full control and acquiescence, and yet also be able to think and plan, strategize, in her human mode at the same time. Her mother had explained that it was something few shifters could do, and those who could were always feared, and could easily manipulate those around them. They were the brains behind pack structures, businesses, governments. They didn’t often choose the spotlight, but when they did their abilities and powers were often more potent. But usually they accepted secondary positions, using the attractiveness or the charm of others, to carry out their own devious, or philanthropic, plots.

Annie usually only used her unique ability to accomplish things like preparing for a test, while hunting, or planning the pack’s schedule, while having sex, or plotting out her revenge on her father and new mate, while shifted and running with the rest of the pack. So while she’d never intended it for evil, she still hadn’t given up on her need to teach her father, Pierce, and her new mate/husband, Jeff, a lesson.

 _I could go forward with the plan to make them both think they’re getting fatter and are on the verge of exploding_ , she thought, gasping as Jeff ripped her gown from her body with his partially shifted hands.

 _Or, there’s divulging Father’s financial weaknesses to Jeff, so that he could exploit them, and telling Father all about Jeff’s pack and physical insecurities, so that he knows just what buttons to push._ Her thoughts came to a screeching halt the moment Jeff knelt before her, and placed her right thigh on his left shoulder, and her left thigh on his right shoulder. He stood and turned to press her back against the wall, burying his face in her wetness.

Annie gasped and her head tilted backwards as bliss exploded through her body.

 _Oh fudge_ , she thought. _No. Something like this deserves much more powerful language. Oh fuck!_

For the first time since Annie shifted at the tender age of five, something typically only Alphas did, she could not separate her mind from that of her beast. Every nerve-ending, every cell, every breath, movement, action, _thought_ , were centered on Jeff and what he was doing to her, and making her feel. She trembled as Jeff slid the fingers of one hand deep inside of her, moaning as he brought her closer and closer to the edge. He twisted his wrist and sucked, and Annie let out a loud, high-pitched wail as her orgasm crashed over her. She clutched Jeff’s head, feeling her wolf snapping and whimpering, desperate to be filled. To be claimed.

But Annie barely had time to focus, to try and fight against them completing the claim, before she felt herself being carried over to the bed and laid down on top of the coverlet. She looked up at Jeff, surprised to find him in only a pair of boxer briefs. _When had he undressed?_ But when she saw the healing claw marks on his skin she realized that she had been the one to pull his clothes off during the frenzy of their kissing.

“It’s time to make you mine for all eternity, Princess,” Jeff growled, his eyes turning eerily gold, his canines protruding from his mouth.

Annie whimpered again and tilted her head. Her mind and her wolf were in one accord as she wrapped her legs around Jeff’s waist, as he tugged down his underwear. Her vision tunneled until the only thing she could see was Jeff’s face, his gaze trained on her. 

“Take me inside of your body, Annie,” Jeff commanded, and though a part of her demanded that she protest his tone and his words, her wolf was fully in control.

So instead she did what he’d ordered and reached down to take his shaft in her hand, before tugging him deep… deep… _deep_ inside of her, until he bottomed out fully within her entrance. His pelvis was pressed against her ass, and they both groaned simultaneously.

“Fucking hell, you feel amazing, Annie. My… _queen_.”

Annie shivered at Jeff’s words and threw caution to the wind.

“Take me, my Alpha. Jeff. My _mate_.”

At that Jeff withdrew from her slightly before slamming back inside of her deeply. He set up a slow, sensuous tempo that quickly became faster, and harder, deeper within her. Annie clutched him tightly to herself. She panted and trembled as Jeff’s warm breath breezed across her sweaty skin.

The bedroom suddenly grew warmer, the air swirling around them. Annie gasped as her body locked up and she threw her head back, pressing it against the pillows beneath her. She screamed. A sound that became a howl. Her body tightened around Jeff’s, and he gripped her shoulders, before burying his canines at the base of her neck again, right over the place where her previous mark was. Giving into some primal need, Annie struc and buried her canines in Jeff’s neck as well.

As his blood hit her tongue, she felt a connection between them so strong, so powerful, that all of Jeff’s memories flooded her mind, and she could feel all of her memories flood his. Even the ones she didn’t want him to know. But it was far too late, because as Jeff’s blood filled her mouth, his hardness expanding to the point that Annie knew it would be difficult for him to withdraw, and his seed filled her body, she could feel another miracle forming.

It was something she’d been told was rare. Something that only occurred between **True Mates**. And if the way Jeff tensed above her, before pulling his teeth free of her neck, just as she released his throat, and licked at the healing puncture wounds, he could sense it as well.

Annie’s scent changed, she now smelled of herself and Jeff.

Jeff’s scent changed, he now smelled of himself and Annie.

Then Annie’s scent changed again. She smelled of herself, Jeff, and one…

Two…

Three…

 _Four_ other scents.

“Holy shit, Annie,” Jeff breathed. “Are you… did we just… are you…”

Annie nodded. “Yes, Jeff. I’m pregnant. We’re expecting a litter.”

_Well dangit. There goes my plans for revenge._

“Annie, were you really going to try and get revenge on me?” Jeff asked, surprise stamped on his face, still buried inside of her, as his manhood had yet to shrink.

_Dang._

She was saved from having to respond by the feeling of something tearing inside of her. She jerked and cried out in pain, at the same time that a multitude of others, still partying in the backyard, all from the Hawthorne pack, did as well. A wail went up and filled the surrounding area, and Annie felt herself become overcome with grief and agony.

“Annie? What’s wrong? Annie?” Jeff shook her. “Annie!”

She gasped and looked up at him.

“M-my father… the Alpha… he’s dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... Annie and Jeff are having quads (if you're reading any of my other J/A stories then you know that I have a love of multiples. This is due to my own experiences. Plus I think twins, triplets, etc. are just fun and present many more opportunities for drama and craziness!)!!!  
> And who killed Alpha Pierce???  
> And what do you think Jeff is going to do now that he knows that Annie planned to get revenge on him?
> 
> BTW, regarding this week's uploads...
> 
> His Grace, Jeffrey Winger, The Duke of Greendale will NOT be posted this week. This is because of Threads and Don't Take The Girl (mainly Threads: Jeff and Annie) my muse is going crazy over them, so I am going to write and upload one, very, very long chapter for each of them, and one regular chapter for each.
> 
> My other J/A Stories that are uploaded weekly:
> 
> The Former Mrs Winger  
> The Greendale Alpha  
> His Grace, Jeffrey Winger, The Duke of Greendale  
> Threads: Jeff and Annie  
> Don't Take The Girl


	6. A Look Back and A Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hawthorne Pack and the Greendale Pack say goodbye to Alpha Pierce Hawthorne. And an accusation is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not a long chapter. I have been preparing for Rosh Hashanah with my family so I'm a little distracted. I'll be better next week. Promise!

**A Look Back And A Goodbye**

Over four decades ago, Alpha Pierce Hawthorne met his **True Mate** . Or at least, that’s what he told everyone whenever they asked. The person in question was the woman he eventually married. Nor was it any of the women he ever slept with. Instead it was a gorgeous, petite, black woman whose voice sounded as if she were purring. Their meeting wasn’t even truly a meeting. It was nothing but the briefest meeting of their eyes from across the crowded airport. Pierce had been pulled by his inner wolf to push aside everyone that separated him from his mate. To shove them to the floor if need be. But before he could move, before he could do anything, his nostrils were assaulted by the stench of _vampire_. He knew he wasn’t the only one who scented the bloodsucker, every shifter around him grimaced and winced, but Pierce, who was distracted by the sweet-delicious aroma of his mate’s pheromones, turned away much too quickly. Normally he would have gone hunting for the fanger with the rest of his pack pals, but Pierce was on a mission.

However, the moment that he realized that his mate had boarded the plane, Pierce was made aware of the fact that he could no longer smell the vampire. He’d let himself be distracted for nothing.

It was a decade before he realized that his mate _was_ the vampire.

Perhaps it was his bitterness at the cruelty of fate that turned Pierce Hawthorne from the optimistic, eager, ambitious young man who had gone to his father with idea, after idea, after idea, to help make their pack more successful, more plentiful, more dominating and powerful, into the crotchety, old, misogynistic, and slightly racist alpha who was constantly lying, scheming, and manipulating to get what he wanted.

Pierce Hawthorne was not a man who suffered the indignity of possibly having a vampire for his **True Mate** lying down. He’d bought up, battled, warred, lied, manipulated, and stolen as much land as he could all over the state of Colorado, until his pack was the one to be feared, and envied, and bribed. At least his pack and that of Jeffrey Winger, the Greendale Alpha.

So Pierce had married off his youngest child to the (to Pierce) obviously gay Alpha. Pierce knew his daughter, Annie well. He knew that she would seek revenge against Jeffrey and Pierce for making choices about her life without consulting with her. He knew that she would make them both suffer with her plans.

He’d also known exactly what to say and how to say it in order to make her only get revenge on her new husband.

However, he’d been unprepared for the fact that as well as he knew his Annie, his Annie knew him just as well.

As the reception raged on over at Alpha Winger’s home, the new dwelling of his daughter Annie, Pierce headed across the street with his wife Britta, and the tall, dark-haired, strong woman--whose name he couldn’t remember--for the threesome dream he’d only mentioned to his wife once. But just as he stepped over the threshold of the bedroom, Pierce received two shocks at once.

One was the sight of Craig Pelton, Annie’s assistant, wearing a bee costume with a hole in the ass, giving him a coy, come-hither look, and calling him Alpha Jeff…

The other was due to a text message from Annie, one that had obviously been sent before the wedding based on what it said:

**My Annie:** **_Hello Father. By now I have just said I Refuse at the wedding you and Alpha Jeff planned and arranged without my knowledge or consent. True Mate or not, I will be consulted in all things going forward. And just as you acted without my express consent, I acted without yours. I am attaching the site of one, Ms Eartha Kitt. Your mate. A vampire. She has been married two times, happily, had three children, and mentioned you once in an interview. It’s below. Now you’re wondering how this could possibly hurt you? Well, I’m not just sending this to you, I’ve sent it to all of your fellow Pack Pals as well. Your secret is out now, Father, and you’ll be humiliated and humbled in front of everyone you know. Not only was your mate a black woman, but she was a vampire, and she_ ** **chose** **_not to mate with you. I love you dearly, but it’s going to take a lot on your part to make it up to me._ **

The shock of Annie’s text, that everyone knew about Eartha, that he was ruined, and that apparently he’d been set up to sleep with a man who had been his daughter’s best friend, who thought that Pierce was another man, all culminated into his clutching his chest as he worst pain he’d ever experienced exploded and traveled from the center of his sternum and down his left arm. His fingers went numb, the world spun around him, he felt nauseous, and then…

Pierce Hawthorne, Alpha of the Hawthorne Pack, dropped dead.

His **True Mate** ’s name and that of his daughter’s, the last words on his lips.

“Eartha.”

“ _Annie._ ”

*** *** *** ***

Annie stood next to her new husband, clutching tightly to his hand, her body trembling, her wolf whimpering, and her stomach roiling, as she watched as various pack members placed wood around and beneath the funeral pyre her father rested on. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she waited to say goodbye to her last parent. Memories of the funeral where they laid her mother to rest superimposed themselves over the reality of her father’s funeral in that moment.

The droning voice of the pack shaman, Abed, as he spoke about the end of a “character’s story arc” was like white noise to her, as Annie allowed her gaze to wander over the faces gathered. She heard the whispers. The speculations. The rumors about how her father died. She heard Craig’s wailing, and wondered for a moment as to why her assistant was so distraught, and her gaze took in the sight of Britta, standing close by Frankie, neither of the women showing a bit of emotion, though Britta’s eyes hadn’t stopped widening and slamming closed every few moments since the minute Pierce’s body was removed from Frankie’s home to prepare it for burial.

“Are you okay, my queen?” Jeff’s voice washed over her, and Annie again found herself struggling through the chaotic maelstrom of emotions that she always felt when he spoke to her. She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t formulate thoughts that adequately expressed how she was feeling in that moment, so instead she merely nodded, and placed her free hand on her still flat belly.

When Abed stopped speaking, Jeff squeezed her hand, and led her to the pyre. He stood silently next to her, as Annie gathered her thoughts. She knew the packs were waiting for her to speak, but she didn’t know what to say. Did she admit that the last thing her father heard from her were her angry, vengeful words over his actions? Did she tell them about his manipulations and lies? Or did she speak on his kindness? Something that he only seemed to show her?

“My father was not the… kindest of alphas,” she began, her voice echoing in the still forest. No one spoke, no one breathed, and no one moved. They respected her, not only as the wife of Alpha Jeff, but also as the new Alpha of the Hawthorne pack and the daughter of the deceased alpha. “You all know that.” She shook her head and chuckled a bit. “He had his flaws… he had _many_ flaws, but he cared, in his own way, about the Hawthorne pack and every member inside of it. He cared for his family. He loved me. He showed it every time he turned a blind eye to my need to learn more, do more, and prove myself to everyone, even when they didn’t think I should be.

“I remember once, when I was about six or seven, I snuck into his office late one night when I should have been in my bed sleeping. I’d thought I’d find him in there, since he wasn’t in bed with my mother, but instead the room was dark and empty.” She took a shuddering breath. “I sat down in his chair and pretended that I was the new alpha. I created laws that said that everyone in the pack had to have a stuffed animal to sleep with. I created a law that stated that everyone had to read a new book every week. And I created a law that the color purple was to be instilled in the decorations and wall hangings of every home. I didn’t know it at the time, but my father had been standing outside of the door listening.

“A few months later I started to notice that there were new stuffed animals in the pack nursery. That the library at Hawthorne Library had expanded more than I’d ever thought possible. And that…” Annie choked on a sob. “And that new wall hangings, family crests, and decorations were being delivered to every home, especially to ours, and that they all had the color purple in them. My father had heard me, and he’d wanted to make me happy. He’d wanted to make other people smile as well, so he’d heeded my advice though I hadn’t given it to him directly.”

She turned away from the pyre and looked at the somber faces of the other shifters in the clearing. She lifted her head and cleared her throat. She was heartbroken, and filled with guilt, but she was still the daughter of Alpha Pierce Hawthorne. She was still her mother’s daughter. Even if her last name was now Winger, Annie would _always_ remember that she was an Edison-Hawthorne first.

“My father was not the greatest alpha in the world. He was not even the greatest father or man in the world. But he was the alpha that Pack Hawthorne needed. He was the father that I needed. And he was the best man he could be.”

Her eyes moved of their own accord towards Britta and Frankie.

“Even unto his last breath.”

With that, she turned and accepted the lit fire stick and set it to light the pyre. She handed it over to Jeff and watched as he did the same. She nodded as he turned and handed off the fire stick to Britta, and then to Shirley, then to Abed, to Troy, to Frankie, to Craig--who trembled hopelessly the entire time he held it.

Annie allowed Jeff to drag her back from her father’s burning body a few steps as her vision clouded with tears, but before long she couldn’t remain stoic. She turned and began to sob against her husband’s, her **True Mate** ’s chest. The heat from the burning pyre warmed the back of her body, and she sank into Jeff’s warm embrace and allowed him to comfort her.

The only thing she could hear were her own harsh sobs, and Jeff’s soft words of comfort. She could even hear how much he struggled to offer them to her when he disliked her father so, and wasn’t one given to much emotion. And yet, there was something else penetrating that moment of grief.

_“Murderer.”_

_“Shame on you.”_

_“I hope you’re next.”_

_“Look what you have done to our Princess. Our new Queen.”_

_“Murderer.”_

_“You did this.”_

_“You’re to blame.”_

_“You’re the worst.”_

_“Murderer.”_

_“Murderer.”_

_“Murderer.”_

Annie lifted her head to see who was the source of such vicious verbal attacks, and felt a new wave of guilt wash over her when she saw Britta standing not too far away, her hand clutching onto one of Frankie’s, as members from both packs hurled whispered accusations at her. Annie wanted to go to her former stepmother and apologize. To stand with her. To tell everyone to back off, but before she could, her stomach flipped and Annie vomited in the grass right in front of her father’s burning corpse.

“That has to be good luck, right?” Troy asked.

Abed tilted his head to the side. “I’m not so sure, Troy. Perhaps the writers merely wrote it in to try and provide some comedic relief in this moment of sadness. Either way, I would say that Alpha Consort, Annie’s, vomiting after sending her father off to Paradise, means that hijinks are on their way.” He turned to the other shifter. “Come, Troy. We must study up on hijinks involving newly married couples from opposing backgrounds.”

“Awesome,” Troy breathed.

“Yes. Cool. Cool cool cool.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and your comments. I appreciate them so much!
> 
> Oh, btw, Pierce is gonna haunt Annie a bit due to her grief (reminiscent of her guilt making her go insane in the Darkest Timeline) and Chang is coming!!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter will be uploaded next week.


End file.
